Treat
by cranesandcranesandcranes
Summary: It's Halloween night, but Renee Young is in no mood to party. Her new boss and some of her colleagues at NXT seem intent on turning her dream job into an ordeal. To make matters worse, any hope of her relationship with Sami Zayn becoming more than just flirty interview banter appears to have gone. But what better night for the extraordinary and unexpected to occur? (Two-shot)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! I've been wanting to do something set around NXT for ages now, and the only two characters currently interacting in WWE that have any believable romantic chemistry seemed like the best placeto start. So here's the first half of a loosely Halloween-themed Renee Young/Sami Zayn two-shot. Hope you enjoy, please read and review :) **

Her heartbeat accelerated wildly, her clammy fingers almost slipped off of the door handle. She took as deep a breath as her tension would allow. She knew she had nothing to fear, she got on well with them, bar a couple of notable exceptions, and while they would no doubt show sympathy to her plight, she knew none of them would know quite what to say. Hearing them try and fail to understand would only make her feel worse, and possibly even lead to unwarranted lashing out in ways she'd come to regret. She'd always had trouble holding her tongue.

To think just a month prior, things could not have looked rosier for Renee Young; she'd been proverbially pinching herself on a constant basis as she traveled the world posing the pertinent questions to the men and women she'd grown up in awe of, the people that just a year earlier she'd been passing comment on from afar to a niche audience in a small studio in Toronto. She'd made history as the first woman to take up regular residence at a WWE commentary table on NXT. She bounded through the doors of the Full Sail Arena every week eagerly anticipating her next challenge, and rather ashamedly hoping said challenges involved crossing paths once again with a certain fellow Canadian.

During her year with the company she'd been required to point her microphone at some of the most arrogant, patronising, sleazy and downright crazy people she'd ever met. Though she took great pride in maintaining her professionalism and sticking to the task at hand in the presence of such characters, there were some interviews she couldn't wait to be over. But whenever she saw the name 'Sami Zayn' on her itinerary, she knew she was in for several minutes of unashamed warmth, friendly banter... and a good hour of swooning afterward. If anyone here had a right to an ego it was Sami; in Renee's humble opinion NXT's most talented and exciting prospect, but it was harder to imagine a more grounded, level-headed and good-humoured man. No one else always remembered to ask how _she_ was, to them she was just a platform from which to unleash their ego. No one else complemented her appearance in a way that didn't make her skin crawl.

Gentlemen were few and far between in her experience, as were people she could genuinely trust, and they were never rarer than in this most cut-throat of businesses. He was an anchor of compassion and sanity in an environment that sometimes seemed almost completely devoid of morals and common sense. And maybe, just maybe there was more to his compliments and genial attitude toward her than mere cordiality. She simultaneously hoped he'd picked up on her rather obvious signs of infatuation whilst also being somewhat mortified by the idea. She considered them a perfect match and doubted she was in his league in equal measure. She hadn't known what to think. But now one thought overtook all others when it came to Sami Zayn. She missed him.

For a while NXT had been a safe haven from the rotten-to-the-core regime that had begun running roughshod over Raw and Smackdown, but that all changed the night John Bradshaw Layfield rode his long-horned limousine into town. To think that her broadcasting colleague, the man that welcomed her so warmly when she first set out on the road, the man that texted her with words of wisdom and encouragement when she first took her seat in the announcer's booth, had enlisted himself into the service of the exploitative, hypocritical powers-that-be emphasised just why no one here could be taken at face value.

And almost instantly, JBL had proven that his modus operandi would be no different from that of his superiors; nepotistic totalitarianism coated in a veneer of benevolent corporate bullshit. Sami was suspended for speaking his mind, and Renee had been insulted and patronised live on television by her new boss. And they were far from alone in being mistreated. Once bright and hopeful, the whole place now exuded a permanent air of fear and gloom. Circumstances had conspired to make her dream job a nightmare, appropriately enough given the time of year.

She opened the door to the women's locker room ever so slightly and leant toward the crack, hoping to glean who was inside and what they were talking about before she made her entrance. If she had chance to prepare then she'd be better able to generate a false aura of calm and sprightliness that would prevent any awkward questions.

"So I used the box that my dryer came in for the body, and the plastic tubing off my old vacuum cleaner for the legs, and lots and lots of foil. It's so much more fun when you make your own costumes!" she heard Bayley babble with her customary child-like glee. In all the upheaval she'd somehow forgotten about the Halloween party the following night; arranged by Dusty Rhodes shortly before his departure and grudgingly allowed to go ahead by JBL. Normally the chance to let her hair down (or up, or concealed behind a mask, whichever her costume dictated) would be one that Renee would jump at, but recent events had driven the lustre for any merriment far from her mind. She just wanted to hunker down, make the most of her snatched moments away from this circus and hope that everything soon blew over.

"You're going too, aren't you, Paige?" she heard Charlotte ask.

"Too bloody right I am! Favourite night of the year," came the reply in the unmistakable husky English tones of the 'Anti-Diva.'

"Why's that? Cos it's the only night of the year where everyone looks just as creepy as you?" Renee bristled and let out a breathy groan as the shrill, condescending squawk of NXT's self-proclaimed 'First Lady' Summer Rae interjected, in the process shattering any determination to enter the room that she had managed to build up. For whatever reason, as petty and pathetic as Summer's mean girl shtick was, her barbs always managed to stick in Renee's craw no matter how facile she found them.

"Paige, the only person on Earth who has to tan in order to pull off a convincing zombie," put in Sasha Banks, Summer's newly-recruited 'BFF', with all the odious eagerness and desperation of a dog trying to please its master. Cute and harmless though she had once been, Renee always knew Sasha was just the kind of weak-willed, malleable young sapling who could so easily be sucked into Summer's moronic orbit, offsetting her own obvious insecurities by putting others down.

"...And what are you, going as, Charlotte? If it's something involving a gross leathery mask you can ask your dad if you can borrow his face for the evening," Sasha went on.

"Two in a row! You're really getting the hang of this, Boss!" Summer cheered risibly.

"Well, I did learn from the best," Sasha sighed in reply, swiftly followed by the triumphant slap of a high five.

"I don't like it when we fight," Bayley murmured fretfully, inciting some hectoring laughter from Summer and Sasha. All of a sudden the door swung open and before Renee had time to react she was sent stumbling backwards, just managing to keep her feet by steadying herself on the far wall with her right arm.

"Oh, _hey_ Renee! Didn't see you there," Sasha mewled. Renee gave her a wry grin in response. She might not have been feeling quite herself, but she was still fairly confident she could run rings round Summer's little lapdog.

"Nope, sorry, not happening. You're still about as intimidating as a three-legged chihuahua," she retorted calmly, as Sasha gave a frown and Renee watched the false confidence drain from the Bostonian's eyes. Time to go in for the kill.

"See, I know that beneath the three inches of foundation and the copiously padded bra you're still that sweet, shy little girl who desperately wants to go to that party as her favourite anime character and is going to feel awkward as fuck in the cheerleader outfit your BFF stuffs you in."

Sasha's expression transformed into one of doe-eyed panic, her lip trembling slightly. Maybe enough of these reminders of how wafer-thin this layer of belligerence was would cause her to realise that she was infinitely better the way she was before and that conforming to this tired stereotype in order to gain attention and approval was futile and just plain sad. However, before any sort of epiphany could occur, Summer inevitably leapt to her rescue.

"Ani-what?" she began, shooting Renee a look of withering disregard. Renee felt her fighting spirit begin to shrivel, and knew that no matter what she did, whatever superficial inanity Summer was about to spout was going to inexplicably leave a mark on her.

"Decided on your costume yet, _Renee_?"

At the crucial moment, as so often was the case, she found herself unable to order her words, and could only scowl and splutter.

"No? Hmm... maybe we can help. Any ideas, Sash?"

Knowing Summer had Renee firmly on the ropes, Sasha's bravado returned with a vengeance, her eyes aglow once again with vindictive relish as she sized her up.

"Let me see... well, for your sake, Renee... and ours... I'd avoid showing any stomach."

"Unless you're planning on painting a face on it and going as Jabba the Hutt," Summer put in, standing beside Renee with arms folded and leaning down into her ear.

"And I'd _definitely_ steer clear of anything too tight around the butt," Sasha went on, craning her upper body behind Renee with a smirk.

"...Unless you're planning on going as a hippo," added Summer.

"A hippo! Where do you come up with this stuff?" Sasha cooed, clapping her hands together in puerile delight.

"It's... a gift," Summer shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm not going to the stupid party," Renee pouted. It was if her entire adulthood had receded into inexistence and she was 16 again, and with an adolescence like hers that was entirely a bad thing.

"And why's that?" Sasha asked, cocking her head.

"I think I know why..." Summer began. Maybe if she didn't talk so slowly this wouldn't be half as painful. But then of course, that all part of her plan.

"It's because Sami isn't gonna be there."

"I... don't know what you're talking about," Renee muttered in vain, knowing that they weren't about to abort their mission of making her feel like utter crap regardless of what she said.

"Oh I've seen you fawning over him in those interviews like a lovesick teenager, it's pathetic," Summer spat.

"...Says the 30-year-old woman still acting and dressing like she's in high school," Renee shot back to Summer's evident surprise. At least she would be able to take some pride from this exchange.

"You think he's gonna be interested in _you_, when there's girls like us? He's a star..." Sasha said, tagging herself in while her cohort was temporarily stunned.

"...A Superstar. And Superstars date Divas. You're not a Diva, you're not really an announcer either, you're..." Summer leaned right into her face, a lop-sided sneer on her lips.

"...You're just Renee," she finished, her tone soft, icy and acidic. With that parting shot, Summer and Sasha trotted mirthfully away down the corridor.

And all Renee could do was silently seethe. Jabba the Hutt? A hippo? These people were idiots, their insults playground-level at best, and she with her intelligence, her vocabulary, and a career built upon being extroverted and outgoing and stepping out of her comfort zone had absolutely no defence against them. How did they do it? She knew she was better than them on every important level, yet she knew these words would be hurtling tauntingly around her head when she lay down to sleep that night. Alone.

And they were exactly right as far as Sami went. There was no way she was going to enjoy herself without him there. Not with things the way they were now. There was no way she was ever going to get what she wanted from him either. Not with the washboard-abbed, statuesque alternatives on offer. Actual wrestlers, not awestruck fans who'd gotten lucky. She'd gone from happily engaged but frustrated at the lack of upward trajectory in her career a year ago to landing her dream job but feeling painfully lonesome and completely alienated today. Had it really been worth it? She didn't know anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, a good fortnight after Halloween itself I've finally got around to putting together the second half of this! Thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and/or favorited the first chapter. Hope you enjoy :)**

RealPaigeWWE:_ behold the undead diva apocalypse (with added robot) eFtyCDkvAL_

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: _No Renee?_

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: _She's giving it a miss. Says she's got other plans, which is complete bollocks. Coincidentally round about the time you got suspended she became something of a hermit. Hmmm..._

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn:_ Well she's on the road half the week now, she probably just needs some rest_

Direct from RealPaigeWWE:_ I can already see where this is gonna go. You're gonna make excuse after excuse to deny the obvious_

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: _Which is what exactly?_

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: _That nothing's gonna cheer her up but you getting your arse over there pronto and showing her a good time. That's an order, Zayn! I know you're doing fuck all else_

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn:_ You sure that's what she wants?_

Direct from RealPaigeWWE:_ She won't admit it and that's why it's got to be a surprise, but yeah, of course. And it's what you want too_

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: _Well I do miss her... but no more than I miss you or any other friend I have there_

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: _You've never called me a 'general ray of sunshine to all'_

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: _That's because you're the blackest of rainclouds and proud of it. You're the last person I expected to be playing matchmaker_

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: _And doesn't that prove how meant to be it is if even I'm going out of my way to make it happen?_

Sami squinted to read the number on the door as he stood at the foot of the drive. He couldn't believe he'd been talked into this. Paige could have been barking up the wrong tree entirely. The girl was barely out of school after all, what did she know about what was 'meant to be'? But he would be lying if he said he didn't hold a special place in his heart for Renee Young, that his interactions with her weren't the most natural, pleasant and refreshing conversations he'd had since arriving in Florida.

In an environment where everyone was clamoring to be noticed, trying to one up one-another in order to be first in line for a main roster spot, losing track of who they really were in the name of fitting the mould; she served to remind him how ridiculous it all was, to remind him the importance of remaining true to oneself.

Amidst this cavalcade and delusion and desperation she remained thoroughly grounded; anything but a Diva and all the better for it. Grateful for the opportunity she'd been given to live out her dream without being overawed or gushing, just enough to be damn good at her job. She could go tit-for-tat with him on wrestling trivia, she made him laugh more than just about any girl he'd ever met, everything was just so easy with her.

But then, maybe this rapport was a sign that they'd found their natural level for their relationship. The last thing he wanted to do was lose what they had by screwing her around trying to find out. Either way, she was a good friend in need of some comfort and some company, and he was happy to provide it. If she wanted it. He'd already absent-mindedly rung the bell amid his reverie, there was no going back now.

* * *

"Aha, at last! Told you I'd get it! Perseverance and the element of surprise, two of my strongest suits," Renee crowed proudly as she was finally able to swipe Sami's trademark cloth cap from his head (something which she had been intermittently attempting to do ever since they arrived) and placed it atop her own head.

"Is it me or is there less and less hair under there every time this comes off?" she smirked playfully as they returned to fresh air.

"And that's precisely why I wear it," Sami sighed in reply, resting his hands on his hips and doing his best to look thoroughly unimpressed; a rather tall order when the last two hours had been his most fun, revelatory and potentially significant for a very long while. The trial in his head was over and the verdict was in; Renee Young was just about the most amazing woman he had ever met and he would be a damn fool not to at least attempt to take things to the next level. He only hoped he wasn't being conceited in his presumption that the feeling was mutual. But then, she'd never stopped flashing him that alluring smile all evening.

He'd been on his way back up the drive when she finally answered the door, her hurriedly-applied make-up and erratically-brushed hair seemingly explaining the delay. He had given her complete freedom of selection when it came to their activity for the evening, having substantial evidence from prior interactions that her idea of a good time was similar to his. She said she was tired of adult life; anything involving alcohol, dining, or generally having to sit still for prolonged periods of time was off the menu. He asked what a 10-year-old Renee enjoyed doing. She said climbing trees. He said that was unbecoming of a pair of twenty-somethings. Then she suggested ice skating. He said why the hell not...

"But you wrestle bare... headed?" Renee went on, an amused grin flashing across her face at the clumsiness of her wording. Sami could barely recall being so attentive to and delighted by the minutiae of another person's facial expressions.

"Why do you think I wore a damn mask until forced to do otherwise?" he fired back, his eyes betraying the enthusiasm that these exchanges always sparked in him.

"Well wrestling history has shown that premature baldness is anything but a barrier to success so I wouldn't worry..." Renee went on.

"...It's even OK to be ginger now. Speaking of which, how the fuck did that happen? A pasty red-headed Arab, a hundred years ago you'd be travelling the country in the back of a wagon with the bearded ladies."

"What can I say, I'm a born outcast..." Sami said with a nonchalant shrug.

"...And my head is very cold."

"You're only getting the hat back if you admit you're a vastly inferior skater to me..." she teased.

"...Which again completely baffles me. I've watched you do some of the most graceful and dexterous wrestling manoevres I've ever seen. Do you have magic boots or something?"

"I can't explain it, just like I can't explain why you tripped no less than three times on the walk up here then became Nancy fucking Kerrigan as soon as you strapped those skates on," Sami replied. Of the many superlatives that suggested themselves when he thought of Renee, graceful had not been one of them. However, she had quite literally run rings around him the second they took to the ice.

"Canadians are genetically predisposed to skating prowess," she proclaimed.

"But how does that account for my ineptitude?" Sami questioned.

"Dunno, maybe the Syrian in you nullifies it."

"I'm not all that fleet-footed on sand either. Guess they must cancel each other out."

With a sigh of feigned reluctance she placed the cap back on his head. The brushing of her hands against his hair kick-started a million wonderful thoughts. He couldn't wait a moment longer. She lowered her arms, but he refused to let them return to her side, clasping both hands gently with his as they stood opposite one another. Her grin faded and for a moment he panicked that he'd completely misread the situation. He felt her heartrate quicken through her wrists. All of a sudden his ability to read body language deserted him through his anxiousness. Was that hope in her eyes or reluctance? Was the trembling in her lips a sign of eagerness or of fear?

"Seems a little redundant to ask whether or not you had a good time tonight," he began softly, hoping to slowly lead her towards his desired conclusion.

"It was great. Just what I needed..." she replied, with an altogether more coy smile than the one she had been sporting previously. He liked it even better, if that were possible.

"...And just what you needed too, I'm sure. You're not exactly having the best time of it at the moment either."

"I thought we agreed no work talk?" he replied, cocking his head.

"It's just so fucking unfair. You're the best thing NXT has," she said, before swallowing self-consciously, no doubt somewhat embarrassed at giving him such a glowing appraisal. Sami couldn't stop himself beaming fondly. She certainly was cute when she was unsure. It all but cancelled out his seething frustration at the hand he had been dealt over the past couple of weeks.

"Well, undersized weird-looking guy who'd wrestled his way around the world before WWE even noticed his existence being thrown under the bus in favour of more photogenic second-generationer who's had everything handed to him on a plate seems to be a recurring theme at the moment, doesn't it?" Sami lamented bitterly. He heard Renee mutter something unintelligible under her breath.

"What was that?" he queried. Repeating herself seemed to make her nervous, he felt her fists clench inside his and her gaze fell short of his.

"I... I said you're not weird-looking... far from it in fact," she said, not much louder or less mumbly than the first time.

"And you're way too pretty to be this awkward," he grinned, removing his hands from hers and raising them up to her shoulders, hoping she didn't notice him shaking as he did so. She didn't seem as buoyed and reassured by this compliment as he was hoping.

"Yup. 'Pretty.' That's me. A 'pretty' girl drowning in a sea of sexy. You know, I didn't quite appreciate the difference between the two until I started working here, sitting in that locker room surrounded by all these gravity-defying bodies. Girls with absolute and justifiable confidence flaunting their ludicrously flat stomachs, shaking their taut, spandex-friendly asses while I hunch in the corner hoping to draw as little attention to mine as possible. All around me buns of steel, tits of titanium, abs of adamantium, and then there's me... just Renee."

She delivered those last two words in a shrill impersonation that left Sami in no doubt who had been the main catalyst for her insecurity. Well he couldn't let her feel that way for another moment. Not while the neon signs were reflecting on those gorgeous hazel eyes, not while her luscious golden hair wafted softly in the wind. There was no reason whatsoever why she shouldn't feel like the most beautiful girl on Earth. He lifted his right hand up to her face, cupping her smooth cheek, feeling her give a reflexive gasp. He took a step forward.

"First of all, I've never found zero bodyfat much of turn on. And secondly, pretty _is_ sexy. In my eyes there's only one person that fits the description 'hot blonde on NXT,' and it's not Summer. Or Emma. Or Tyler Breeze for that matter..."

That quip had its intended effect of illiciting a gloriously mischievous giggle from her.

"You can keep your Divas. I want a woman. And you're about as fine a woman as can be. Are you willing to settle for a balding, ginger, pasty Quebecois who can quote entire Simpsons episodes word for word?"

"Well, seeing as my only other potential suitors so far have been a fortysomething married man, a four-foot guy in a mask who doesn't speak a word of English and thinks he's livestock, and worst of all, Zack Ryder... guess one can't afford to be picky."

All of a sudden her apprehension had faded, in its place was the wit and irreverence that had drawn him to her in the first place. This was more than worth enduring Paige's inevitable 'told-you-so's the following morning for. Now the move had been made the very idea of being on the fence about it was ludicrous.

After a few seconds of shared chuckling she grabbed the lapels of his blazer for leverage and leaned forward, her lips were as soft and enticing as he'd hoped. He placed his arms around her back, guiding her around the corner from the entrance and away from prying eyes, hoping this would encourage her to become more adventurous. Her arms knotted around his neck and she pressed herself right against him. He speculatively drove his tongue forward and found her more than accepting of it, her ravenous intensity flattering and arousing him in equal measure.

He ran his fingers through her silky blonde locks, along the curve of her torso and across her backside. He felt the sensuous touch of her hands exploring his chest, his mind habitually getting ahead of itself, imagining the things she would be able to do to him with that touch. He was determined not to rush her, but he knew where he wanted the night to end and hoped her lack of inhibition was an indicator that she felt the same way.

"Wow... that was a thing that just happened," she panted as they separated.

"The right thing," Sami smiled, returning his hands back to hers.

"And permit me to inform you, Renee, that you have a great, _great_ ass."

"Very well, as long as you permit _me _to inform _you_ that so do you."

* * *

Renee attempted to bring her vision into focus, blinking repeatedly. It didn't seem to be happening. She slammed her lids back shut. The feeling of dread slowly began to descend. She had a two-hour flight ahead of her to meet up with the main roster for Smackdown. Another evening amid the fear, resentment and hypocrisy that had come to underpin every facet of WWE life in the past few months, to think that her job had been what kept her sane following her split from her fiancee seemed absurd now. The danger and the decay of any moral fibre the company she loved may have once had only served to emphasise her need for someone to ride out the storm with.

And Summer would be there. She'd be making the same trip. What if they ended up on the same flight? This was just too much.

She arched her back and tucked her knees in, curling herself into a ball. What the hell was this fleshy shape she was brushing up against, way larger and less hairy than her dog? Then it all slotted into place. The fog cleared, as if the veil of angst had been yanked away. Her eyes snapped open again, they couldn't open quickly enough knowing the sight that awaited them was a very agreeable one indeed. Sami Zayn, equally naked and mere inches away on the bed, his warmth radiating through her pores. Suddenly the thought of reporting from the frontline of the backstage civil war was thrilling rather than frightening, just as it used to be. Suddenly Summer was a figure of fun and even mild pity rather than an imposing tormentor. She and Sami were smarter, cooler and all-round better than all of them.

She glanced down and examined herself and for the first time in months found nothing wrong with what she saw, her nude form instead providing her with glorious reminders of the previous night's passions. There was nothing sordid or coercive about it; everything had developed and transpired in the most natural and tender of ways.

She had wondered whether she should have felt comfortable going so far straight away, but the transition just felt so smooth, he'd made her feel so secure. A gentlemen through and through, just as she'd hoped. And it their final moments of consciousness he'd made it abundantly clear this was far from a one-off. He didn't want anyone else... just Renee.


End file.
